Darkness and light
by Kedi
Summary: When Belle boarded the Jolly Roger Archie was in no condition to alert her to his presence, thus leaving him at the mercy of Hook for several more days before finally being rescued. Now Archie must adjust to a world in darkness, and Ruby does her best to help him. (Canon divergence from 2x11 - The Outsider and outwards.)
1. Chapter 1

**Summary:** When Belle boarded the Jolly Roger Archie was in no condition to alert her to his presence, thus leaving him at the mercy of Hook for several more days before finally being rescued. Now Archie must adjust to a world in darkness, and Ruby does her best to help him. (Canon divergence from 2x11 - The Outsider and outwards.)

**Characters: **Archie Hopper and Ruby Lucas, with mentions and appearances of several other characters as the story progresses.

**Pairing: **Red Cricket (surprise!) and eventually a few of my favourite broships (surprise for real?)

**Author's note:** Heads up, guys, aftermath of torture! Heavy angst in this first chapter, but there will be fluff and more angst further down the line.

. o O o .

Ruby had spent hours pacing, waiting for news, but found that when the moment she had waited for finally came her feet refused to carry her over the threshold of Archie's room, leaving her instead hovering by the door, heart aching at the sight before her.

Lying there on the hospital bed he somehow looked even worse than he had when they found him tied up in the hold of the Jolly Roger, days after they had – or so they thought – laid him to rest in Storybrooke's small cemetery. Ruby's breath caught in her throat at the thought of that cold, drab day when they had lowered the coffin into the ground; the simple and straightforward tombstone fitting yet so very, very _wrong_… The whole situation had felt wrong on a fundamental level, and only now it was clear just _how_ wrong it had been.

And to think that they might never have realised just how wrong it was! Archie might have died for real on that damn boat had it not been for the fact that Hook - woozy and high on pain meds after his run-in with the stranger's car - had gotten talkative. And cocky. Or rather, cocki_er_.

He had started bragging about his revenge on the Dark One, and his partnership with Cora, and had with no little amount of malicious enjoyment told them of how Cora had disguised herself as Regina and "paid the cricket a visit", and how they all had been fooled into driving the real Regina away and back to her mother's side. He had gigglingly called Cora 'mother of the year' and had pouted when no one laughed along with him. When asked about how he and Cora got to Storybrooke he had declared that they would never find the Jolly Roger! It was hidden from sight! And they would never find it! Emma had just rolled her eyes and pointed out that it shouldn't be hard to narrow down the possible locations of a sailing ship; the docks perhaps? Hook had looked at her with a comically stunned expression as if both deeply impressed and shocked that she had figured it out.

So a little party consisting of Ruby, Grumpy and Charming had gone to the docks to investigate, and knowing more or less where to look it had not taken them long before they found and boarded the invisible pirate ship. They had had no delusions of finding Cora but had decided that they should at least check the ship - if for no other reason than knowing that they had.

They had been so sure they would not find anything of importance.

But the moment Ruby had set foot on the ship she had realised that the magical barrier had not only shielded the ship from prying _eyes._.. Hardly daring to believe her sharp nose she had rushed below deck, following a familiar scent she had thought she'd never smell again, ignoring the surprised cries of protest from Grumpy and Charming behind her.

Archie had been slumped against the wall, coarse rope around his wrists the only thing holding him in a more or less upright position. He had been clad in the same clothes he had been wearing on Snow and Emma's welcome home party - the clothes he had been wearing when Ruby and Emma had found him dead on the floor of his office - but they were badly torn and crusted with dirt, sweat and blood. Ugly bruising and cuts had marred every visible patch of skin and his wrists had borne the signs of being bound tightly for a long time; looking raw, painful and obviously infected. His hair and face had been coated with blood, both eyes black and swelled shut. He had looked almost unrecognisable.

There had been so much blood, the smell of it turning her stomach, and he had been so_still_… With her heart thundering in her ears she had been unable to make out the sound of his laboured breathing and the faint thrum of his heartbeat, and for a terrible few seconds she had been sure that he was dead.

Again.

For real.

Ruby could not recall clearly what happened after that, it was all a blur in her mind - how they had gotten him out of the damn binds and moved from the ship to the hospital, how the medical staff had rushed him away leaving her to pace as she desperately awaited news while the others dealt with the Stranger, Belle, Regina, Hook and Cora… And now, here he was, finally out of surgery and Ruby couldn't get her feet to cooperate, couldn't cross the gap separating them. The few meters from the door to the bed might as well have been miles.

She rationally knew that Archie was better now; even though the lack of dirt only seemed to enhance the deathly pallor of the skin not darkened by the bruising, he was now clean, warm, comfortable and _safe_. The medical team had stopped the internal bleeding, and relocated his shoulder, and taped the broken fingers, and cleaned and stitched the many deep and shallow cuts, cleaned and bandaged his wrists, and… and Ruby had been unable to focus on the frighteningly long list as Dr. Whale had rattled off the injuries the psychiatrist had suffered during his stay onboard the Jolly Roger.

Though Dr. Whale had assured her that Archie was stable and on the mend he certainly did not look it at the moment; hooked up to all sort of machines, with a well-stocked IV stand by his bed. Turning her eyes from the many tubes and wires Ruby felt her blood boil at the sight of the bruising on his throat and neck, the outline of fingers clearly visible to her keen eyes even from this distance, but her anger deflated completely as she forced her gaze higher and she took in the bandages completely covering his eyes.

Her legs finally broke free of their paralysis and with a strangled sound she rushed to her friend's bedside, gently but desperately touching his chest and face to reassure herself she was not dreaming, and though he didn't stir, still deeply unconscious after surgery, she felt a steady pulse under her shaking hands. He was _alive!_ He really was alive! The fear she had felt since she first saw him in the cargo hold finally let her go and she collapsed into the uncomfortable chair by his bed trying to breathe through her tears. He was alive. He had gone a week without enough food and water, but he had survived; he had been tortured and beaten to within an inch of his life, but he had survived; he had been blinded, but…

The thought sparked a flash of fury that almost scared her in its intensity. Thanks to her heightened wolf senses she was acutely aware of the fresh blood sluggishly seeping through the many bandages and the slight rasp audible with his every weak inhale, and in that moment she could have killed Hook with her bare hands. The bastard was right there in the hospital, just a few stories up and a few doors down… It would be very easy indeed to pay him a visit. He was even handcuffed to the bed. Easy pickings if there ever were some…

The only thing stopping her from acting on her murderous rage was the knowledge that Archie would not want her to turn cold-blooded killer for his sake. So Ruby forced herself to breathe deeply, to concentrate on the steady rise and fall of his chest and the feel of his pulse as she carefully held his hand, mindful of the IV and the buddy taped fingers.

And he calmed her, like he always did and always had, just by being there.

He was alive, and for now that would have to be enough.

She reached out and gently stroked his cheek and couldn't help letting out a teary chuckle as stubble scratched under her fingers; a week or so without shaving had left him looking decidedly scruffy but calling it a beard would be pushing it. It was strange - but not in a bad way, she reflected - to see him anything less than clean-shaven.

Somewhere behind her Dr. Whale cleared his throat. Ruby turned with a pleading look but the doctor just shook his head with a stern frown. She had promised him that she would go home and rest as soon as she had seen for herself that Archie was fine - it was probably the only reason she had been allowed in to see him at all and not been told to come back in the morning - and she could tell Dr. Whale would hold her to her promise. With a sigh she reluctantly rose, but turning back to the bed she leaned down and placed a tender kiss to her sleeping friend's forehead.

"You just rest now, Archie," she whispered, too tired and emotionally drained to make her request any louder. "Rest and get better. I'll be back in the morning. I'll let Marco know that you're… that you're back."

She, Grumpy and Charming had briefly discussed whether or not to tell Marco about finding Archie but had decided it would be better if they waited until they were sure he would pull through, and looking back on her own agonised waiting Ruby felt they had been right to spare Marco the hours of desperate worry waiting for news - the poor man had been through enough the last week. At least now Ruby could give him _good_news! The thought made her feel lighter, hopeful, and she leaned in even closer and whispered in Archie's ear: "We lost you once, don't you dare leave again."

Of course he didn't answer, but Ruby told herself he didn't have to – all he had to do was obey.

. o O o .

_To be continued…_

. o O o .

**Additional author's note:** I must shamefully admit that this chapter has been ready for close to half a year… :S I intended to wait until I was done with the whole thing before posting, but I've hit a dry spell writing-wise so I scrapped that plan. Figured that posting the first chapter might be the incentive I needed to finish the darn thing in a timely manner! It's worth a shot, anyways. :P Feedback, as usual, would be lovely!


	2. Chapter 2

It was dark when Archie found his way to the surface. But of course, a despondent voice somewhere in the back of his mind reminded him, from now on it always would be. Fighting against a lingering sluggishness he felt strangely disconnected and numb and more than a little nauseous, but if nothing else that told him he was still alive. A wave of despair followed the thought and made his breath catch in his throat.

He was alive.

He was trapped with no hope of rescue, and his captors would no doubt be back soon. He wasn't sure he could stand much more of the hell he had gone through in the last... he didn't even know how long he had been held captive. The days had started bleeding together and it felt like years and decades since the evening of Emma and Snow's welcome home party.

He was so tired, he just wanted to sleep... But even that was denied him as a voice broke through the fog of his sluggish mind.

"Archie?"

The sound of the sweet voice calling his name was like icy water in his veins and he let out a breath that sounded more like a sob. Oh no, please, no... He felt a gentle hand on his cheek but turned his head away from the touch as if it burned him – it felt so real, so loving, but he knew it was just a cruel imitation. He would not - _could_ not let himself be fooled.

"Oh, Archie... Archie, can you hear me?"

His heart broke more and more with every word spoken in that familiar voice and he cursed the villains' new game.

"No..." His own voice was hoarse and barely audible. "Please don't."

Even though he knew his captors wouldn't care one iota he couldn't keep the plea from escaping. He was afraid - a deep, intense terror he could feel in his very bones - that if Cora spoke long enough in his loved ones voices he might not be strong enough to resist telling her what she wanted to know... and then they would all be lost. Hook's interrogation methods had certainly not been a walk in the park, but Archie had nursed the decision that if it all came to a head he would try to verbally manipulate the pirate into making a mistake and take it too far, killing him. In fact he had thought he'd already… No such luck, apparently.

And if Cora had taken over...

"Please, no..."

Cora would not be so easily led. She was far less likely than Hook to be goaded into striking a fatal blow in a moment of anger.

"Jiminy, it's me! It's Red! Archie, please-"

The gentle, kind touch of soft hands was so different from the sort of human contact he had experienced since being kidnapped, and that perhaps more than the imitated voice threatened to break his resolve. He hated himself for wanting so badly to believe it was really Ruby, but he would not let himself be fooled and tried to move away from the invisible hands.

"C-Cora," his voice broke, but he was too tired to care. "I'm of no use to you, just... just kill me. Please..."

But as he kept trying to get away from the gentle hands and the hauntingly sweet voice he felt something restrict his movements. He didn't know what was happening, only that he was terrified of what Cora would do, and the building panic drove any rational thought from his mind as he desperately tried to fight against the unfamiliar restraints. Pain flared up in his abdomen and he cried out, struggling even harder to get away. His lungs started burning as he tried and failed to draw enough air and over the sound of his struggling he vaguely heard shouting and frantic shrill noises, before more hands joined in to hold him down. Panic complete he didn't register the fact that there were too many hands for them to belong to just Cora and Hook, and in a desperate last ditch effort he lashed out.

He barely had time to feel the sharp burst of pain in his hand as it connected hard with a jaw before everything faded away and he sank back into the depthless void.

. o O o .

The first sign that Archie was finally waking up was a slight shift in his breathing, so subtle that without her wolf hearing she might not have heard it at all; next came groggy, slow movements of his hands and a minute shake of his head. Almost afraid to hope Ruby put down her book and rose from her seat.

"Archie?"

He let out a soft distressed sound and Ruby immediately reached for the call button to summon a nurse. If he was in pain she wanted his medicine upped; the thought of him being in pain didn't sit at all well with her. She threw a quick glance over her shoulder. Marco would be back soon, no one lingered over the pitiful lunch the hospital cafeteria offered.

"Oh, Archie... Archie, can you hear me?"

She reached out to gently touch his cheek, hoping the touch would soothe and comfort him, but he immediately shied away from her hand. She tried to push down the stab of hurt at the dismissive gesture, but any thought of her own pride vanished as he spoke, voice hoarse and raw.

"No... Please don't... Please, no..."

He sounded so broken and small, and wanting to reassure him she reached out again.

"Jiminy, it's me! It's Red! Archie, please -"

But he still shied away from her touch, and what he said next made her heart clench in her chest.

"C-Cora," his voice broke but he soldiered on. "I'm of no use to you, just... just kill me. Please..."

Shocked not only by the fact that he apparently thought she was Cora, but also by his suicidal plea, Ruby felt even more determined to make him see that he was wrong, that he was safe; but the more desperate she became in her attempt at reassuring him the more desperate he in turn became to get away from her shaking hands. His struggle ended up getting him tangled in the bed sheets which of course only served to frighten him further, making him increasingly frantic. A pained cry confirmed her fear that he would hurt himself in his struggle, and the sound of his more and more ragged breathing rang loud in her ears as the smell of fresh blood assaulted her nose. She screamed for help and Dr. Whale and Marco came running; Marco immediately went to the end of the bed where he tried to hold still Archie's legs while Dr. Whale joined Ruby in her attempt to subdue the panicking patient's flailing. It looked like their combined efforts would succeed, weakened as Archie was, but then he suddenly yanked an arm free and slugged Whale right in the jaw, sending the physician sprawling - before fainting clean away.

For a long moment Ruby was too stunned, both by the sudden disappearance of Whale and by the just as sudden end to Archie's desperate struggle, to do anything but gape in shock. But when Whale staggered to his feet with a groan, tenderly cradling his jaw she had to clamp a hand over her mouth to muffle a slightly hysterical laugh. That earned her a huff from Marco, sounding like he didn't quite know whether to laugh or cry, and a half-hearted glare from Whale before the doctor turned his full attention to his patient, mumbling as he quickly and clinically ascertained the damage.

"Pulled his IV… possibly a broken metacarpal bone... dammit, I think he might have popped stitches. Nurse!" He motioned for Ruby to grab Archie's other arm and together they shifted him back into a more comfortable position on the bed as a nurse finally came running. "Nurse Kelley, prep the OR, I need to find out just how much damage he's done."

"Will... will he be all right?" Marco's voice sounded uncharacteristically timid from the foot of the bed where he was still holding onto Archie's legs with hands that were visibly shaking.

Whale's frown was replaced by a cocky smirk as he met the older man's gaze. "Of course he'll be fine. _I'm_ his physician, after all."

Ruby couldn't help the teary chuckle escaping at his mock bragging tone, and Whale's smirk eased into a more genuine smile as he stepped back to let the nurses transfer Archie to the gurney. Though Whale still had moments where he came across as an over-confident asshole Ruby had seen more of the man behind it – the human being plagued by guilt and doubt – after his attempted suicide. A few months earlier he would probably have said it in complete seriousness and she would have dismissed him as a narcissistic egomaniac and wouldn't have bothered looking deeper - would probably have tried to avoid him completely to be honest - but now they both knew better.

Marco managed a watery smile in thanks for the doctor's attempt to reassure them and Whale clapped the older man on the shoulder. "I'll mend what I can."

And with that promise Dr. Whale left, hurrying after the gurney, leaving Ruby and Marco to wait.

. o O o .

The next time Archie woke he couldn't quite find the energy to surface completely. He felt like he was floating in a void and though the feeling didn't help his nausea any he felt too sluggish to care much about it. Feeling strangely detached from his own body he decided to just enjoy it while it lasted – at least the pain was reduced to a strange, dull sort of non-feeling that he could easily push aside. So he just floated, unable to keep track of how much time passed and equally unable to care. Now and then the faint noises around him slowly sorted themselves into familiar voices: Geppetto... Red… Snow... Grumpy… Blue… He expected the by now familiar wave of despair, but found that this too he was unable to care about at the moment. Maybe he was finally too far gone. Maybe he could finally rest. There was a strange sort of peace in that thought and allowing himself to pretend they were in fact who they sounded like Archie let the familiar and loved voices wash over him and soothe him to sleep.

. o O o .

"How is he?"

Ruby looked up from her vigil to give Mary Margaret a sad smile.

"He woke up briefly the day before yesterday, but he was frightened and confused... he had a panic attack, I guess. He thought he was back on Hook's ship, and he popped a few stitches as he tried to get away. Victor had to operate again." Ruby shrugged dejectedly. "All things considered they didn't want to use restraints on him, so until his wounds are healed enough to withstand a possible repeat performance he'll be kept what Victor called 'comfortably numb'. Said he didn't want Archie to mess up his hard work again." She let out a soft chuckle and shook her head. "Though I think he's also wary of Archie's surprisingly effective sucker punch."

"Sucker pu-" Mary Margaret gasped as Ruby with a smirk motioned to the splint on Archie's right hand. "Are you saying that the bruise Whale was sporting was because of _Archie?"_

"Yup!" Ruby laughed at Mary Margaret's look, half incredulous and half impressed. "Who knew our little cricket had it in him, huh?"

Mary Margaret chuckled at that and gave Archie's leg a gentle pat as if to congratulate him on a job well done. "Yeah, I guess he's much stronger than any of us gave him credit for. And not just physically." They shared a sad smile at that and Mary Margaret put an arm around Ruby's shoulders, giving her a half hug. "And how are you? Marco said you've been here practically around the clock."

Ruby shrugged with a sigh. "It's not like I'm needed elsewhere. Granny is taking care of Henry, Belle doesn't remember me, and you guys all have your hands full with the stranger and Hook and Cora and Regina…"

The truth was she only went home to sleep and eat when Dr. Whale sent her away in the evening - and then only because she knew that Marco would stay in Archie's room overnight, sleeping on the cot the nurses had put up for him.

"Marco stays during the night, but he's still searching for Pinocchio so I sit with Archie when he's away. I know I don't have to, I know that it's not necessary for someone to sit with him all the time, I know he's probably not even aware I'm here, it's just..." Images of his frightened struggle flashed before her inner eye and she shuddered. "I just can't stand the thought of him waking up all alone in the darkness."

She couldn't do anything about the darkness, but at least he wouldn't be alone.

According Dr. Whale the damage to Archie's eyes was far too extensive for conventional medicine to repair, but it might not be outside the realm of magical healing. He had asked the Blue Fairy if there might be a chance her magic could heal what his medicine could not, and she had been cautiously optimistic; however, since fairy dust was in short supply they would have to wait and let Archie heal as much as possible on his own first – and even then Blue could offer no guarantee since magic in this world had proven to be highly unpredictable.

Ruby had felt genuinely touched by the fact that Whale, who was so dismissive of magic, had been willing to go to the Blue Fairy for a _magical_ solution. It just showed how much he had grown since the curse broke - and how much Archie meant to everyone, even the infamous Dr. Whale.

But the more immediate problem was to find a way to assure Archie that he was safe when he couldn't see it with his own eyes; assuring him with touch and voice had not worked particularly well the first time...

"He was so afraid..." Ruby whispered, clutching Archie's hand in both of hers, mindful of the splintered fingers and the IV. "He thought he was still on Hook's ship. He thought Cora had taken on our voices to taunt and torment him. And – " She swallowed and couldn't stop her deepest fears from surfacing; the fears she had mulled over during the hours spent by his bedside. "I think he still believes he's on that damn ship, and I think that's why he hasn't said anything, hasn't woken up. Victor says he's not so heavily drugged that he should be completely out of it like this. I-I don't think he's trying. I think... I think he's given up." She looked up at the woman she considered a sister and knew Snow could see the despair in her eyes. "What if he's already too far gone?"

"Oh, Ruby, don't say that," Mary Margaret whispered. "He'll come around, you'll see."

"It's been days."

"He almost died on that ship. It takes time to get back from something like that."

"He wanted to die," Ruby continued in an anguished whisper, looking at the sleeping man with a look of heartbreak on her face. "He thought I was Cora, and he begged me to kill him. It broke my heart, Snow!" Ruby sobbed, no longer trying to keep her tears at bay. "I tried to tell him he was safe, that he hadn't betrayed any of us, that Cora and Hook couldn't get to him, that he was home... but he was so afraid! I've never seen him like that before and it scared me."

Mary Margaret fought back her own tears as she hugged Ruby closer, but as her sister clung to her and cried Mary Margaret couldn't help but wonder; Jiminy and Red had been good friends back home, and though they had not been close during the curse she knew Ruby had nursed a serious but fiercely secret crush on Dr. Hopper. When the curse had broken they had found each other again and continued their good friendship from back home, but Mary Margaret had been certain (gleefully, happily so) that Ruby's crush had remained. She had been both happy and hopeful seeing two of her dearest friends spend more and more time with each other, both coming to grips with who they were again while trying to help those around them as well. But before anything more than friendship could develop between them Archie had died - and Ruby had hurt in silence.

To those who didn't know her well she had looked sad, but not crushed. But Snow knew Red better than anyone, with the possible exception of the man they had thought was dead, and she had seen the hurt in her eyes; hurt so painful she didn't dare let it out. She had seemed to push the sorrow away, keeping it at arm's length. Ruby had been stoic and distant ever since she and Emma found Archie - or who they thought were Archie...

Goodness, who had they buried in Archie's stead? Mary Margaret shook her head and made a mental note to look into it. Somewhere in Storybrooke someone might be waiting in vain for a family member. Mary Margaret pushed the thought aside for later, focusing on the woman crying so pitifully in her arms.

In a way Ruby's tears gave Mary Margaret hope: Ruby's sorrow would no longer sit trapped in her heart, festering; now she could let it go and move forward. Mary Margaret looked at the sleeping man in the bed and smiled through her own tears, kissing Ruby's hair and hugging her tighter. Now they _both_ could move forward.

. o O o .

It took nearly a full week before Dr. Whale deemed Archie's wounds healed enough to take a bit of strain and they started weaning the psychiatrist off of the drugs keeping him numb. But as Archie's mind cleared the nightmares started rearing their ugly heads with a vengeance; groggy and confused he struggled against invisible bonds, not able to distinguish between what was real and what his befuddled brain conjured up. Dr. Whale was forced to ask Marco not to speak unless he had to since the sound of his voice more than any other seemed to make Archie particularly agitated. Dr. Whale had threatened to gag Ruby too, but for now she was allowed to try to calm him. She had wracked her brain trying to find something she could say that would convince him, but when his breath hitched, signalling another nightmare, Ruby still had no idea how to go about it. Bracing herself she gently but firmly shook him awake.

"No… no, please..."

"Jiminy! It's really me, it's Red! Archie, I promise!"

"No… No, Cora, I don't believe -"

"Archie! Jiminy _listen!"_

But Ruby didn't know what to say. She couldn't think of a single thing she could say that would instantly and neatly convince him she was telling the truth about his rescue. A memory flittered past her inner eye and she desperately grabbed hold of it.

"Chess! You taught me to play chess! Remember? I-I was so embarrassed that I didn't know how to play and you were the only one who saw through my weak excuses to avoid Snow's games! You didn't call me out on it, you didn't tell Snow, you just offered to teach me in secret. I was so embarrassed, I felt like such an uneducated fool! But you were so sweet and you promised you would never tell a living soul and I would never admit it to anyone, so how could I know about that if I wasn't me!" Her words toppled over each other in her rush to get them all out. "I-I mean, if I wasn't _Red?_ Jiminy, it is me, please believe me!"

. o O o .

Jiminy's groggy mind stumbled to a halt at the unsuspected claim. Chess? … That's right, he _had_ taught Red to play chess, hadn't he?

Snow had asked Red repeatedly, never knowing that Red had been embarrassed that she didn't know how to play. It hadn't occurred to Snow that in the rural areas far from her own sheltered childhood in the royal palace chess was not something every little girl was expected to learn. Red had felt her ignorance a clear sign of her low birth, something she didn't feel comfortable reminding Snow of now that the royal... well, had become _royal_ once more.

Jiminy had assured Red that the notion was blatantly false proved by the fact that he, a lowly cricket (and before that a lowly con-man, though he hadn't mentioned that) knew the game. He had added that he was sure Snow would not think any less of her if Red came out and admitted that she didn't know how to play, but if Red wanted he could teach her? It had earned him a brilliant smile that would no doubt have made him blush had he still been able to.

During their first few clandestine lessons Red had been intently focused on the board and his explanations, but as the lessons progressed and she got the hang of it she had started to relax. As his points and explanations had decreased in frequency their conversation had turned towards whatever topic they felt like talking about. Jiminy had treasured those lessons, had enjoyed her company immensely; the young vibrant woman a much better interlocutor than she gave herself credit for.

The first time Red had accepted Snow's offer of a game she had thrown him a shy but excited glance before following her happy friend, and though Snow had beaten her soundly Jiminy could vividly recall the brilliant smile on Red's face as she asked Snow for a rematch.

Jiminy was sure Red had never spoken about their lessons to anyone, and he knew _he_ never had. But then how did Cora know...

Unless she had found a way to tap into his mind somehow? What if… what if she had finally grown tired of Hook's failure to extract information from him and had - had taken his heart?

The thought made him cold with fear. If she had they were all doomed; he knew enough secrets and weaknesses to topple the whole War Council, and if she had his heart he would not be able to keep the secrets from her. But surely Cora wouldn't waste time taunting him, keeping up this cruel game if she had gotten what she needed from him? Archie held no illusions that the evil witch would keep him around, let alone keep up this frustrating charade, once he fulfilled his usefulness. The only reason he hadn't been divested of his heart as soon as he had been taken was that _Hook_ was the one who needed the information - had Cora wanted him to talk… he would've been dead already, of that he had no doubt. Dead, or worse; ripped of his free will and forced to do her bidding.

But if she hadn't taken his heart, hadn't breached into his vault of secrets, then the only other option he could think of was... that she had found out about the chess lessons from Red. That thought was terrifying too, if for another reason, and he felt his pulse race with the implications of either option.

. o O o .

"Archie? Archie! Oh my gosh, Victor, something's wrong! Archie, you have to calm down!"

For a moment Ruby had thought she had reached through to him; he had been completely still and he had seemed to listen intently to what she was saying, but afterwards the silence had stretched between them for a long moment before the heart monitor had started to steadily pick up the pace. Frightened and confused Ruby tried to reassure him, but she was pretty sure he was no longer listening and he was on the verge of hyperventilating and the heart monitor was racing and Dr. Whale was barking orders at the nurses milling about the bed and Ruby did the only thing she could think of to snap the panicking psychiatrist out of it: she kissed him.

He gasped in surprise against her lips, but Ruby just deepened the kiss, determined to shift his focus from whatever mental scenario had him so frightened.

He was gulping for air by the time she released him and for a moment an awkward silence hung in the room. Ruby ignored the stunned looks from the medical staff and kept her eyes on the confused man before her, her hands gently but firmly on his cheeks as if she could force him to see the truth even without actually seeing it.

. o O o .

Archie's mind was reeling. Cora would not... would she? No, yes, she would, if she thought it would further her needs, but that... that had not been Cora. He didn't know how he could be so sure, but somehow he _knew._

"Ru-Ruby?"

"Yes! Yes, Archie, it's me, I promise!"

Ruby. Red. Archie felt his head swim and his fingers prickle, and not just because he had been on the verge of hyperventilating. "Where... where am I?"

"You're at the hospital. You're safe, Jiminy!"

Hope and relief tore a weak sob from his throat and this time he didn't resist as he was pulled gently into a hug. His heart was still beating madly in his chest, but he melted into the embrace, for the first time really allowing himself to believe it when Ruby's sweet voice assured him he was safe. He wanted to cling to her, to the safety she represented, but his whole body suddenly felt immeasurably heavy and his head felt fluffy and he didn't have the strength to hold on when she let go and eased him back down on the bed. He sank back into soft pillows and felt gentle hands - Ruby's gentle hands - tuck him in and heard her soft assurances that everything would be all right, that he was no longer alone, that he was home... and he let himself drift off to sleep, for the first time in a long time feeling safe.

. o O o .

"He'll sleep for a few hours," Dr. Whale told her, removing the syringe from Archie's IV.

"Thank you, Victor." Ruby brushed a stray curl away from Archie's forehead. "Thank you for waiting until he recognised me."

"Of course. We'd only be pushing the problem ahead of us if we kept sedating him every time he was on the verge of a breakthrough. Not to mention the backlash would be all the greater when it finally came."

He smiled and Ruby was not for the first time struck by how genuine his post-curse break smile seemed in comparison to his cursed smile - she had been on the receiving end of the latter many times, and it had never failed to send shivers down her back. And not in a good way. But the lecherous, cold, calculating edge was gone now, replaced by a warmth of budding friendship.

"I think we'll lift Marco's gag order now," he said. "Now that you've broken through we can start rebuilding."

. o O o .

_To be continued..._


End file.
